383 | Upper James River Virginia’s Epic Smallmouth Bass Best Kept Secret? with Hunter Hatcher of the Virginia DWR

On this episode of Fishing the DMV, we break down the 2025 fish sampling survey results for Virginia’s Upper James River with Hunter Hatcher with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The James River—Virginia’s largest—begins where the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers meet in Botetourt County and winds through the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains before flowing past Lynchburg, Richmond, and into the Chesapeake Bay. Today, we’re focusing on the non-tidal Upper James, a stunning 90-mile...